Rule one: the basics
With each application form you will receive a job specification, to secure a job interview all you need to do is evidence that you possess the required skills and have the necessary experience for this job role.
To highlight your skills, you need to record actual working examples of the essential criteria, primarily in the personal profile and work history section. Employers will also verify that you have the qualifications required under current training and qualifications.
The applicant who meets all the essential criteria and moves is offered the job interview.
Rule Two: Stand Out
Most applicants will have the required qualifications and experiences, which is why they applied for this position, what you need to do is stand out from the crowd. To stand out, you need to highlight on the application form what unique value you can offer, i.e. what skill or quality you possess that will increase the company’s profits, turnover, production, etc.
By having a unique skill or selling point, you will add value to the organization you are applying to, for example, if you have a knack for turning underperforming companies on the brink of bankruptcy into a profitable business, then a company in this situation can’t afford to miss out.
Rule three: personal information
The first section of the job application is simple; Please add your contact details, previous employment history (please provide a brief summary here only of your role and duties, making them relevant to the job role), and your qualifications. Be sure to follow the application form rules and if necessary write with a black pen etc. An important aspect of the application form is the position you are applying for and the job code boxes, because large companies hire hundreds of people a year and HR will only know the position you have applied for because of this important code.
Rule four: profile is king
The key to securing job interviews is the profile of the application form, as this is the section that will confirm that you have the essential criteria required, while selling yourself through your unique selling point (which makes it stand out from the crowd)
The job specifications that accompany the job application form tell you in detail what qualifications the employer is looking for that are evidenced on the job application form and the importance the employer places on each criterion.
The work criteria will be recorded under desirable or essential criteria; it is imperative that it have all of the essential criteria and most or all of the desirable criteria. It is even simpler that the employer in the job specification will also tell you where it will measure this criterion, either through the application form or the job interview.
If you need to add additional pages to the application form, add them and make a note (and give a reference number to each individual page) on the application form so the employer does not lose this vital information. But as more application forms become available online, no extra pages will be required as the text box will get bigger, just watch out for word count limits.
Rule Five: Sell Yourself
Use headings to break up your text in the profile; the essential criteria requirements make the best headlines. If you don’t like using headers, follow a format so that the information isn’t lost or duplicated throughout the job application form.
Start with an opening paragraph; a mini summary that can highlight your best strengths and skills in 4-5 lines, making sure to highlight your unique selling point. The opening paragraph should intrigue the employer, encouraging him to read your statement in more detail.
Avoid writing general information like “I’m a good team player”, write how your experience has made you a good team player, employers look for real work related stories to demonstrate your skills.
You must show the employer that you understand the position, the duties and the industry of work. The best way to show that he has this knowledge is to record that he has completed the essential criteria in a previous position.
At the end of the personal statement, write a brief summary of why you have applied for this position, what made you choose this particular position or organization?
Rewrite your application 2 more times, each time you edit your statement, remove negative language and add more positive stories; You want this statement to be as good as it can be, making sure you get a guaranteed interview.
Rule Six: The Application Trick
Now that you have a complete application form, an application form that really highlights your strengths, skills, and unique selling point, you’re ready to start over for that second or third job you want to apply for.
To save time on online application forms, keep a copy of your completed application form as a draft and use it as the basis for all your future job application forms. When writing a new application form, copy and paste the statement from your original application into the new one, edit each new application/profile to make it relevant to this new position and company, this will save you a huge amount of time.
